Overview

The Employment Relationship

Consumerism 360° is a contract that requires both the employer and the employee to meet specific commitments in order to achieve mutual goals. It represents the optimal balance between two extremes: paternalism, wherein the employer takes full responsibility for every aspect of employees’ security needs, and individualism, or total individual self-reliance where, for example, employees independently purchase health care and fund their own retirement.

Consumerism 360° proposes that the employer provide its workforce with a framework of programs and decision-making support, and that employees are responsible for making individual choices within that framework that maximize their personal benefits.

The Spectrum of Employment Relationships

Within the framework of Consumerism 360°, there are infinite options that allow the creation of an employment contract that balances both the needs and goals of a company with those of its employees.

The key to moving toward the right configuration for a company is to first assess where it currently falls on the consumerism spectrum — from paternalism to individualism — and then to determine where it wants to be. It’s important to remember that the optimal position can vary for each of the career, health, and wealth components. Determining a company’s most favorable position on the consumerism spectrum is shaped by:

• External influences — the political, governmental, economic, and social forces that define the context within which an organization must operate
• Company-specific influences — the set of rules and requirements that are specific to a company, the nature of its culture, and its adaptability to values such as accountability, trust, and openness
• Employee-specific influences — the possibilities and limitations of a workforce to adapt to consumerism in the workplace

The Foundation of Consumerism 360°